Russians start deporting families of Ukrainian soldiers from TOT

The Russians Russians have begun deporting Ukrainians living in the occupied territories. These are people whose relatives serve in the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

This was reported by the advisor to the mayor of Mariupol, Petro Andriushchenko, via Telegram on Monday, December 24.

Deportation of Ukrainians from the occupied territories

According to Andriushchenko, at least five families in the Melitopol district were deported in December simply because their relatives serve in the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The Russians have developed a whole scheme for this.

"The FSB comes to the house, checks for correspondence, especially deleted correspondence. If they find it, including restored ones, they offer two options. The first is to recruit Ukrainian servicemen for collaboration. The second is deportation. Period," Andriushchenko said.

He also noted that those who choose to be deported are given a few hours to pack, then taken to Sheremetyevo and given the opportunity to choose a deportation point.

"Our interlocutors say there is no increased pressure or physical violence. Everything is deliberately polite (if it can be polite at all)", Andriushchenko said.

As a reminder, MP Yelizaveta Yasko said that Ukrainians who did not leave during the occupation of their settlements and received Russian passports will be able to regain their status after the war ends. A special mechanism will be created for this purpose.

Five more Ukrainian children have returned to Ukraine from the Russian occupation. This was possible thanks to the initiative of the President of Ukraine Bring Kids Back UA and the work of Save Ukraine's partners.